The Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) owns and operates two radio telescopes. The Submillimeter Telescope (SMT) is about 12 miles southwest of Safford, in south-east Arizona. The Observatory is located on a straight line midway between Safford and Bonita, in south-eastern Arizona, at the Mt. Graham International Observatory.
 

  Photo: The Submillimeter Telescope, located at Mt. Graham, AZ.   

ARO SMT is a leg of Around the World in 80 Telescopes tour: Click to play; click  (lower right) to view video full screen Next stop: Vatican Telescope (previous stop: TAMA 300)

Between the former NRAO 12-Meter Telescope (KP12m), located 50 miles southwest of Tucson on Kitt Peak, and the SMT at Mt. Graham, the two telescopes routinely cover the entire millimeter and submillimeter windows from about 4.6 mm to about 0.6 mm. SMT observations can be made all the way to 0.3 mm with PI instruments.

The telescopes are operated around-the-clock for about 9 to 10 months per year for a combined 10,000 hours per observing season (about 1500 hours are dedicated to sub-mm wavelengths at the SMT).

Mount Graham International Observatory
1480 W. Swift Trail, Safford, Arizona 85546
(928) 428-2739 – Google Map – Map-Observatory 

The Arizona Radio Observatory offices are centrally located in the Steward Observatory and Dept. of Physics & Astronomy building on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, Arizona.

Additional funding for the 12 Meter and SMT is provided by the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Foundation.

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